“Aye.”
“I have not.”
Cam thought that might have been his answer, so he wasn’t surprised by it. He did, however, have a healthy respect for The Beast and the man’s resilience. Truth be told, he also had a measure of anxiety because of it.
But this was something he had to do.
“Then I thank ye for being truthful,” he said. “I will do my best tae ensure I am not another victim.”
Axel didn’t say anything. He simply nodded his head, giving Cam a slap to the shoulder as he headed out of the stone chamber. It wasn’t an encouraging slap, or even one that suggested Axel believed it. It was simply a slap that, to Cam, stated the obvious…
Best of luck.
Cam knew he was going to need it.
*
Because of thefeasting and drinking that had gone on the night before, the lists of the Fields of Mars were a little more than halffull when the bouts began an hour after sunrise. Too many men were still in their beds, nursing aching heads and upset bellies.
But Isadora wasn’t part of that suffering group and neither were her father or brothers. They had, indeed, feasted the night before, but in moderation. All four of them were planted in the bottom rows of benches with the arena floor spread out before them.
They had a fight to view.
That was, if Cam was even fighting at all. The first few bouts were the same as they had been at the last organized event—novices against more advanced men and, so far, Isadora and her family had seen three novices take a licking before succumbing. As the morning dragged on, there were three more novice fights, the last of which involved a man Isadora recognized.
The man was the partner that Cam had been practicing with for the past two weeks and he was paired off against a man with a beard, a ponytail, and a very big club. Cam’s partner gave the bearded man an excellent fight, so much so that even her brothers commented on it. But in the end, he took a blow to the torso that crumpled him.
The man limped from the field and the bearded giant gloated for the crowd.
After that, the fights were stopped for a time as more men filled the lists and the food vendors began wandering around, tossing small loaves of bread to the crowd for a few pence each. Ossian and Ewan procured loaves for Isadora and her father, and the four of them tore into the still-warm bread.
“Then ’tis decided that we’ll make an offer on the one they call The Beast?” Ossian asked, his mouth full. “The man is indestructible. He’s exactly what we need.”
Isadora frowned. “There has been no such decision,” she said. “I told ye there is a fine novice here with ties tae Netherton.Da agrees that he would be better because he has an attachment tae the village. It was his home the Lindsay burned.”
Ewan and Ossian waved their hands to silence their silly sister. “Ye dunna know what ye’re saying,” Ewan said. “Ye know nothing, Issie.”
Isadora leapt to her feet and balled a fist. “I know I can punch ye intae the ground, Ewan Keith,” she said. “Do ye want me tae prove it?”
Niall put up his hand before the situation went out of control. He’d seen his daughter in a fight with her brothers and the lads had always come out on the losing end, so he pushed Isadora back into her seat.
“No decision has been made yet,” he emphasized to all three. “Sit down and shut yer yaps. I’ll hear no more from ye.”
Isadora sat down, but she was glaring daggers at her brothers, who were glaring at her in return. But men were coming out on the arena floor so their attentions were diverted, especially when the big, leathery-skinned man who was a familiar fixture at The Cal came out to announce the next bout.
Bouts were always announced. Until this point, it had been novices against men with names like Hammer Fist or The Sussex Falcon. Those were the more advanced warriors and they all were given a name to identify them to the crowd as men of rank and skill. It was an honor to have a moniker. Therefore, the crowd listened with great anticipation as the next bout was announced by the man with the heavy Germanic accent. When he was finished, Ewan and Ossian turned to their father in delight.
“The Beast is next!” Ossian said. “Did ye hear? Now we shall see him fight again.”
“And ye’ll make the offer, Da?” Ewan asked excitedly. “Ye must before someone else offers for him.”
Niall held up a hand to silence his eager sons, watching as the enormous warrior named The Beast came out into the arena.
“But who is The Lion of Caledonia?” he wondered aloud. “They announced him as The Beast’s opponent. We’ve not yet seen him fight, have we?”
Isadora shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “I dunna know who he is.”
Niall was curious. His sons, however, didn’t care about the warrior called The Lion of Caledonia. They were far more interested in The Beast, who lifted his hands to the crowd in the lists to encourage their cheers. As the crowd roared, his opponent made his way out onto the field.
